Power operator for elevator shaftway doors



Aug. 28, 1962 N. R. GUILBERT, JR., ETAL 3,051,269

POWER OPERATOR FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTWAY DOORS Filed April 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l g ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1962 N. R. GUILBERT, JR, ETAL 3,051,269

POWER OPERATOR FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTWAY DOORS Filed April 25, 1958 2 sheets sheet 2 INVE ro Jam D6 60 ATTORNEY 3,hi,265 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 fine 3,051,269 POWER GPERATOR FOR ELEVATOR SAY DOORS Nicholas R. Guilbert, Jr., Glenside, and John J. De Feo,

Philadelphia, Pa, assignors to Guilbert, Incorporated,

Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsyivania Filed Apr. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 731,029 8 Claims. (Cl. 187-40) This invention relates to operators for elevator shaftway doors and the like, and more particularly vertically rising or sliding doors.

Various power operators have heretofore been proposed by which a vertical rising or sliding door of an elevator car or dumbwaiter is employed to operate a shaftway door or doors but none of these has proven wholly suitable.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved operator for a vertically movable or sliding shaftway door, which may be either a single door or an upper door or doors of the bi-parting type, wherein the movement of a car carried device is effective, upon opening of a car carried door, either of the single section or bi-parting type, to open the shaftway door or doors.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a car carried door operating device which is normally held in retracted position when the car carried door is closed, and which is moved, upon opening movement of the car carried door, to a position to engage a gripper on a shaft'way door and move the shaftway door into open position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shaftway door operating device which is simple in construction, reliable in its operation and which can be readily installed upon car and shaftway doors now in use, without interfering with conventional safety interlocks and the like now employed on the shaftway doors and cars.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved form of door operator which includes one or more grippers carried on a shaftway door for impelling said door to open position and permitting the closing of the same, and one or more retractable vanes carried on the car and normally in retracted and locked position when the car door is closed, but which are impelled to an operating position for engagement with the grippers upon opening movement of the car door.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved form of door operator which includes one or more grippers engageable by retractable vanes with a frictional engagement and in which the grippers can be separated upon the application thereon of a predetermined force.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a shaftway and elevator car doors with the operator of the present invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the car doors shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view, enlarged, taken at the upper edge of the upper car door and showing the details of construction;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a portion of FIG. 1 with one of the door operators in the operating position; and

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a portion of a vertical shaftway or hatchway is illustrated at it? having a plurality of landings, one of which is shown at 11, with an access opening 12 into the shaftway 10.

The access opening 12 has a shaftway closure, which can be a single door (not shown) but which for purposes of illustration is shown as including upper and lower biparting vertically slidable hatch doors 13 and 14. The doors 13 and 14 are removable in conventional vertical side guides 15 and can be connected in a well known manner for simultaneous downward movement of the lower door 14 upon upward movement of the upper door 13.

A car 20, mounted for vertical movement in vertical guides (not shown) is provided, and can have an interlock release arm 22 thereon for releasing an interlock 23 which normally holds the doors 13 and 14 in locked condition when the car 20 is remote therefrom.

The car 24 is provided with a closure preferably consisting of upper and lower bi-parting vertically movable,

doors 24 and 25. The doors 24 and 25 are movable in vertical side guides 26 carried by the car and are connected for simultaneous downward movement of the lower door 25 upon upward movement of the door 24.

For purposes of operating the doors 24 and 25 simultaneously and in counterbalanced relation, the upper door 24 has chains 27 connected to the upper margins thereof which extend over sheaves 27a at the upper ends of the guides 26 and then downwardly and are connected to side brackets 23 on the lower door 25.

For purposes of impelling the doors 24 and 25 to open and closed position, a bracket 29 is provided on one side edge of the door 24 from which a chain 29a extends upwardly along one side of the door 24, over the sheaves 27a and above the top edge of the door 24, downwardly along the other side of the door 24, and is connected to a bracket 3% on a side edge of the door 25 oppositely disposed with respect to the bracket 28. The chain 2% extends downwardly from the bracket 30 and around a lower sheave 31, then over a driving sprocket 32 carried in a frame 33 on the bottom of the car 20, then down and around a lower sheave 34, and then upwardly to the bracket 29 to which it is connected.

A reversible actuating motor 35 is mounted on the frame 33 and is connected through a speed reducer 36 to the sprocket 32. The motor 35 is of the torque type so as to be restrained by a predetermined torque exerted thereon.

If desired, a friction brake 37 can be provided between the sheaves 27a and through which the chain 29a passes, the brake 37 being actuated by T-links 38 mounted on the chain 29a and engageable with the brake 37 near the limit of travel in each direction of the doors 24 and 25 to cause the chain 29a and the doors 24 and 25 to which it is connected to move more slowly.

The energization of the motor 35 is controlled by any suitable control mechanism, and can be actuated by an operator in the car, or by remote or automatic control mechanism, for opening and closing the doors 24 and 25 at the desired landing.

The mechanism for opening and closing the shaftway or hatch doors 13 and 14, upon corresponding movement of the doors 2 and 25 will now be described.

The door 13, on one or both side margins thereof, and preferably near the top margin is provided with gripper brackets 40 to serve as supports for abutments which include fixed gripper plates 41 withrfacings 42 mounted thereon of any suitable friction material, such as brake lining material.

The abutments also each include a movable gripper plate 43, with a facing 44 mounted thereon of any suitable friction material, such as brake lining material. The movable gripper plates 43 are supported in the brackets 40 on pins 43a and are normally urged by leaf springs 45 to a position with the facing 44 in engagement with the facing 42. Adjusting screws 46, mounted in the brackets 40, are provided for determining the force applied by the springs 45. This force is such as to prevent separation of the movable gripper plate 43 with respect to the fixed gripper plate 41 in normal raising and lowering of the doors 13 and 14 to permit separation of the gripper plate 43 under certain predetermined conditions.

On a part of the car for simultaneous movement with the door 24, and preferably on the door 24 at each side margin thereof, a vane 50 is provided, pivotally mounted at the upper portion thereof by a pivot pin 51, for swinging movement towards and away from the lower end margins of the gripper plates 41 and 43. The vane 50 has an actuating projection 52 formed thereon with an upper edge face 53 for engagement, as hereinafter explained, with the lower end margins of the facings 42 and 44.

The door guides 26 have mounted thereon, in any desired manner, and extending inwardly from the door 24, a downwardly inclined cam trackway 55 having .an upper cam face 55a and a lower and longer cam face 55b. An actuating pin 56, mounted on the lower inner end of each of the vanes 50 extends into the trackway 55 for engagement with the faces 55a and 55b for impelling the vanes 50 upon relative movement of the door 24 with respect to the guides 26.

A vane lock lever 57, pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 58 on the side margin of the door 24 below the pivot pin 51 is provided and is swingable from an upwardly inclined position as illustrated in FIG. 1 to a horizontal or downwardly inclined locking position as shown in FIG. 5. The levers 57 have notches 59 in the lower edges thereof for engagement with the pins 56 in a downward and locking position of the levers 57 and with the vanes 50 in their outer and gripper engaging positions.

The mode of operation will now be pointed out, starting with the condition in which the hatchway doors 13 and 14 are closed and held by the interlock 23.

With the doors 24 and in closed position, the actuating pins 56 are in the lower part of the cam trackways 55 and the vanes 50 are held in retracted condition.

If now the car 20 is brought to a position with respect to the hatchway doors 13 and 14 so that the interlock 23 is released, upon energization of the motor the chain 29a, by its engagement with the bracket 29, will initiate the raising of the door 24 and by its engagement with the bracket 30 will initiate the lowering of the door 25.

As the door 24 starts to rise, the actuating pins 56, by their engagement with the cam trackways 55 will permit the vanes to swing outwardly to a position where the actuating projection 52 is in a projecting position for door operation with the upper edge faces 53 thereof horizontally disposed. As the vanes 50 swing outwardly and a separation of the pins 56 from the trackways occurs, the lock levers 57 swing downwardly and the notches 59 engage the pins 56 and prevent accidental inward swinging of the vanes 50.

Upon further upward movement of the door 24, the edge faces 53 engage the lower margins of the gripper facings 42 and 44 of the gripper plates 41 and 43 and by this engagement the door 13 is raised. The door 14 4 is simultaneously lowered by reason of its connection to the door 13.

As the doors 24 and 25 approach their fully open position, the brake 37 is actuated by one of the T-links 38 to reduce the speed of movement of the chain until the motor 35 is deenergized.

When it is desired to close the doors 24 and 25, the motor 35 is energized in the reverse direction from that for opening to drive the chain 29a in the opposite direction for closing.

The door 24-, with the upper edge faces 53 of the vanes 5% in engagement with the facings 42 and 44 moves downwardly, permitting the door 13 to descend, and upon continued downward movement the pins 56 engage the lower faces 55b and are directed by the cam trackway 55 to retract the vanes 55 out of door operating positions. As the pins 56 enter the trackway 55 the pins 56 move downwardly and out of engagement in the notches 59. The brake 37 is activated by a T-link 38 as the doors 24 and 25 approachtheir closed positions to reduce the speed of movement thereof prior to deenergization of the motor 35.

it will be noted that only a short vertical motion of the door 24 is effective for advancing the vane 50 to a position to open the shaft door 13. The distance the door 24 moves, to open the door 13 to a fully open position, is only slightly in excess of the movement of the door 13. 7

It will also be noted that if, for any reason, the car 29 should be lowered with the vane 50* in its outer position, the force applied on the upper edges of the facing portions 42 and 44, the resistant force of which is adjustable as heretofore pointed out, will cause the gripper plate 43 to separate from the gripper plate 41 so that the vane 50 can pass without damaging the projection 52.

For some types of installations, a single car carried vane 59 and a single pair of grippers 41 and 43 will sulfice to efiect the opening and closing of the shaftway doors.

We claim:

11. Door operating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door (in an elevator hatchway having an elevator car therein, comprising a vertically movable member on said elevator car movable with respect to said car, a vertically elongated abutment mounted at a fixed location on and projecting from said hatchway door, said abutment having force applying parts releasable upon application of a predetermined force thereon, a pivotally mounted pendant vane on said movable member and swingable in a ventical plane, and members including a fixed guide on a fixed portion of said car and a projection on said vane engaging said guide for swinging said vane and thereby positioning the lower part of said vane for engagement with said parts of said abutment upon relative movement of said 'movable member and said fixed portion of said car in one vertical direction and for retracting said vane upon relative movement of said movable member and said fixed portion of said car in the opposite vertical direction.

2. Door operating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door in an elevator hatchway having an elevator car therein, comprising a vertically movable member on said elevator car movable with respect to said car, a vertically elongated abutment mounted at a fixed location on and projecting from said hatchway door, said abutment having force applying parts releasable upon application of a predetermined force thereon, a pivotally mounted pendant vane on said movable member and swi-ngable in a vertical plane, and members including a fixed guide on a fixed portion of said car and a projection on said vane engaging said guide for swinging said vane and thereby positioning the lower part of said vane for engagement with said parts of said abutment upon relative movement of said movable member and said fixed portion of said oar in one vertical direction and for retracting said vane upon relative movement of said movable member and said fixed portion of said car in the opposite vertical direction, said vane during a part of the movement of said movable portion by its engagement with said parts of said abutment controlling the movement of said hatchway door.

3. Door operating mechanism for a vertically slidable elevator hatchway door comprising an elevator car having a vertically slidable door a vertically elongated abutment member at a fixed location on and projecting from said hatchway door, said abutment member having spring biased parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal pivotal vane mounting member for said vane connected to the upper portion of said vane, said vane mounting member being movable with said car door, said vane having a lower portion for engagement with said parts of said abutment member for the positioning of said hatchway door upon movement of said car door, and interengaging members carried by said vane and said car including a fixed guide on a fixed portion of said car and a projection on said vane engaging said guide for advancing said vane upon a portion of the movement of said car door in an upward direction and for retracting said vane upon a portion of the movement of said car door in a downward direction.

4. Door operating mechanism for a vertically slidable elevator hatchway 'door comprising an elevator car having a vertically slidable door, a vertically elongated abutment member at a fixed location on and projecting from said hatchway door, said abutment member having force applying parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal pivotal vane mounting member movable with said car door connected to said vane at the upper portion of said vane, said vane having a lower portion for engagement with said parts of said abutment member for the positioning of said hatchway door upon movement of said car door, and interengaging members carried by said vane and said car including a fixed guide on a fixed portion of said car and a projection on said vane engaging said guide for advancing said vane upon a portion of the movement of said car door in an upward direction and for retracting said vane upon a portion of the movement of said car door in a downward direction.

5. Elevator car operated hatchway door actuating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door in a hatchway having an elevator car therein comprising a vertically elongated abutment member mounted on and projecting from the hatchway door, said abutment member having force applying parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, said car having a vertically slidable door mounted thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal vane mounting pivot at a fixed location on said car door connected to said vane at the upper portion of said vane, said vane having a projection at the lower portion thereof engageable with said parts of said abutment member for moving said hatch-way door, a pin extending from said vane, and a fixed guideway mounted on the car and engageable by said pin for advancing said projection to abutment member engaging position upon a part of the upward movement of said car door and for retracting said projection upon a portion of the downward movement of said car door.

6. Elevator car operated hatchway door actuating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door in a hatchway having an elevator car therein comprising a vertically elongated abutment member mounted on and projecting from the hatchway door, said abutment member having force applying parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, said car having a vertically slidable door mounted thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal vane mounting pivot at a fixed location on said car door connected to said vane at the upper portion of said vane, said vane having a projection at the lower portion thereof engageable with said parts of said abutment member for moving said hatchway door, a pin extending from said vane, a fixed guideway mounted on the car and engageable by said pin for advancing said projection to abutment member engaging position upon a part of the upward movement of said car door and for retracting said projection upon a portion of the downward movement of said car door, and a member carried by said car for holding said vane in an advanced position during other portions of upward and downward movement of said car door.

7. Elevator car operated hatchway door actuating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door in a hatchway having an elevator car therein comprising a vertically elongated abutment member mounted on and projecting from the hatchway door, said abutment member having force applying parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, said car having a vertically slidable door mounted thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal vane mounting pivot at a fixed location on said car door connected to said vane at the upper portion of said vane, said vane having a projection at the lower portion thereof engageable with said parts of said abutment member for moving said hatchway door, a pin extending from said vane, a fixed guideway mounted on the car and engageable by said pin for advancing said projection to a'btument member engaging position upon a part of the upward movement of said car door and for retracting said projection upon a portion of the downward movement of said car door, and a locking lever carried by said car for holding said vane in an advanced position during other portions of upward and downward movement of said car door.

8. Elevator car operated hatchway door actuating mechanism for a vertically slidable hatchway door in a hatchway having an elevator car therein comprising a vertically elongated abutment member mounted on and projecting from the hatchway door, said abutment member having force applying parts releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereon, said car having a vertically slidable door mounted thereon, a pendant vane, a horizontal vane mounting pivot at a fixed location on said car door connected to said vane at the upper portion of said vane, said vane having a projection at the lower portion thereof engageable with said parts of said abutment member for moving said hatchway door, a pin extending from said vane, a fixed guideway mounted on the car and engageable by said pin for advancing said projection to abutment member engaging position upon a part of the upward movement of said car door and for retracting said projection upon a portion of the downward movement of said car door, and a locking lever carried by said car for holding said vane in an advanced position during other portions of upward and downward movement of said car door, said locking lever having a notch for engagement by said pin for holding said pin and locking said vane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,243,924 Douse Oct. 23, 1917 1,425,332 Packard Aug. 8, 1922 1,494,061 Ohristiansen May 1 3, 1924 1,526,059 Fulghum Feb. 10, 1925 1,876,438 Werner Sept. 6, 1932 1,972,258 Boyle Sept. 4, 1934 2,499,979 Smith Mar. 7, 1950 2,633,932 Clift Apr. 7, 1953 216634436 Bowser Dec. 212. 1953 

